Making it happen: launch of 2007 OPEN DAYS
European Week of Regions and Cities

Danuta Hübner, Commissioner for Regional
Policy, and Michel Delebarre, President of the EU Committee of the
Regions, launch OPEN DAYS, the European Week of Regions and Cities, on 8 October
in Brussels. The event runs from 8 to 11 October and involves a record 212
regions and cities from 33 countries. Organised by the EU Committee of the
Regions and the European Commission, this fifth edition of OPEN DAYS brings
together local, regional, national and EU politicians and decision-makers,
policy experts and representatives of business, banking and civil society
organisations. The seminars this year will focus on the new regional programmes
for 2007-2013. The headline is: 'Making it happen: regions and cities deliver
growth and jobs'.

Commissioner Hübner said: "As in previous years, OPEN DAYS bring
together a unique blend of EU, national, regional and local experts to discuss
regional development issues, to come up with new ideas and to see if and how we
can improve delivery of the EU's cohesion policy. I'm looking forward to this
inspiring opportunity to meet regional policy experts and practitioners to find
out how we can best reach our aims of raising living standards throughout the
EU's regions and cities."

Committee of the Regions President Michel Delebarre, Mayor and MP for
Dunkerque (France) added: "Since OPEN DAYS were introduced in 2003, they
have become a unique platform in Europe for communication, discussion and
networking among regions and players in the field of regional and cohesion
policy. Let’s make it happen in regions that are not only more competitive
but more supportive of each other, where we can create opportunities for action
both for public authorities and the private sector."

This year's OPEN DAYS event coincides with the launch all around Europe of
new seven-year regional operational programmes which represent an investment of
nearly € 500 billion from the public and the private sectors. The
four-day event will provide up to 5000 participants with an opportunity to learn
from other regional strategies, past experiences and future programming
objectives.

For the first time, the event will feature the international dimension
of regional policy, with Ministers and regional representatives from China,
Russia and Brazil taking part, as well as experts from other non-EU countries
and international bodies. In addition to the Brussels programme, local and
regional authorities are holding about 100 local OPEN DAYS events in their own
countries throughout October.

The Committee of the Regions will once again host the Investors'
Café, launched last year. This brings together public and private
partners in seven thematic 'villages', covering transport, energy, environment,
knowledge society, health, research and innovation, and financial engineering.

Notes for editors:

Opening Session: Commissioner Hübner and Committee of the Regions
president Michel Delebarre will be joined at the opening ceremony on 8 October
by Francisco Nunes Correia, Portugal's Minister for Environment and
Regional Development, representing the Presidency of the EU, Philippe
Maystadt, President of the European Investment Bank, Raphaël
Alomar, Governor of the Council of Europe Development Bank,
Ernest-Antoine Seillière, President of BUSINESSEUROPE, and Jozef
Niemiec, Confederal Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation.

Closing Session: At the European Parliament in Brussels on 11
October, the final session will focus on the future of regional policy in the
context of globalisation, climate change and demographic trends. Professor
Michael Spence, winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize for economics, will
deliver the keynote speech. Commissioner Hübner, Committee of the
Regions President Delebarre and Manuel Lobo Antunes, Portugal's
Secretary of State for European Affairs, will also contribute, together with
Ferdinando ‘Nani’ Beccalli-Falco, President and CEO of
General Electric International, and former Regional Policy Commissioner
Monika Wulf-Mathies, Executive Vice President, Corporate Public Policy
and Sustainability, of Deutsche Post World Net. Hans-Gert Pöttering,
President of the European Parliament, will conclude this session.For full
programme, more information and registration: